Obama and Congress to crack down on cyber security

Bloombergreports that President Barack Obama will issue a long-awaited cyber security executive order this week. Two former White House officials told the publication that the order is expected to be released after Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.

According to Bloomberg, the expected executive order will outline voluntary standards for companies running key infrastructure, such as the country’s transit systems, power grid and water supply.

On Capitol Hill this week, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and Rep. Mike Rodgers (R-Mich.) are set to reintroduce the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Hill reports that the bill would allow the government to share classified cyber threats with the private sector so that those companies can then protect their systems from cyberattacks.

The bill was killed last year due to privacy concerns. Civil-liberty groups argued that the bill allows companies to exchange too much personal information back and forth without regulation.